Attachment 4: Historic HCD – History and Evolution

History and Evolution of the Study Area

This section examines the history and evolution of the HCD study area. It draws on research that was completed as part of a built form and landscape survey, and background research of historical documents including maps from key periods in ’s history.

Key Development Periods

Yonge Street’s History is characterized by its dual role as a major transportation route and a commercial main street. These roles connect several different periods in its history and solidify its importance to Toronto, , and Canada. From its initial survey as a transportation route between the Town of York and Lake Simcoe in 1796, Yonge Street was intended to drive the economy of when Toronto was incorporated in 1834, but it also emerged as a key commercial street in the new city, especially as the population swelled and development pushed northward. The weight of Yonge Street’s history is demonstrated in it being known informally as “Toronto’s Main Street”.

For the purposes of this report the history of the study area has been divided into seven periods:

• The Natural Landscape and Aboriginal Occupation • Initial Survey of Yonge Street • Early Settlement and Establishment of Park Lots (1800-1850) • Sub-Division of Park Lots (1850-1870) • Main Street Development and Early Public Transportation (1870-1900) • !"##!"$#% • Subway Construction and Modern Redevelopment (1930-1970) • 1970s to Present Day (1970-present)

Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District 1 Figure 1. Plan of York drawn by Lieutenant Phillpotts of the Royal Engineers, surveyed in 1818 drawn in 1823. For context, the street to the west marked with “Reserve” is Lot Street which would later be renamed . It shows the extent of development in Toronto (then York) at that time.

The Natural Landscape and Aboriginal missionaries traveling to and from Huronia. There are vague Occupation accounts of two Aboriginal sites located in the general vicinity of the study area. The site is thought to have been a Late Woodland village located at Clover Hill, and later, the former , at the north end of the HCD study area follows estate of John Elmsley, which was eventually developed for the shore of glacial Lake Iroquois, which came into existence St. Michael’s College University. The Sandhill site is reportedly around 12,000 years ago (Chapman and Putnam 1984). The a burial site or cemetery located near the southwest corner of waters of this lake then gradually receded to such an extent that the intersection of Yonge Street and (Scadding 1873, by roughly 3,000 years ago the shoreline was established more 399-400). or less in the location at which it stood when the Town of York was founded. A number of minor creeks ran through the general study area prior to nineteenth and twentieth century urban development. A minor tributary of Taddle Creek rose in the area &*/; south of Wood and Grenville Streets to join a larger branch of   is now Church Street. Another creek, , which was a minor tributary of the that rose in the Dufferin </> ravine to the immediate north of the study area. Castle Frank Brook was also known as Brewery or Severn Creek, and was named after Severn’s Brewery which was located near Davenport Road and Collier Street.

Davenport Road preserves the route of an inland Aboriginal trail, skirting the Lake Iroquois strand line and linking the Don and Humber rivers. It was later utilized by French explorers and

2 DIALOG - Philip Goldsmith - Archaeological Services Inc. - Carl Bray Figure 2. This Plan of Toronto was commissioned by the new City of Toronto the year it was incorporated in 1834. It was drawn by James Grant Chewett and shows the demarcation of Park Lots, note Yonge Street between Lots 8 and 9.

Initial Survey of Yonge Street improving the road in order to facilitate farmers and traders bringing their goods to market. The Upper Canada Gazette hoped the road improvements would attract the attention of the North- The study area was part of a larger area that included a meeting West Company who could use the Township of York as a depot point of land and water routes developed by the aboriginal in the fur trade (Upper Canada Gazette, March 7, 1801). The population and used by early settlers and trappers. There was improvements at this point were rudimentary and consisted an extensive, but circuitous, system of trails that followed the mainly of removing tree stumps, residual brush, and smoothing topography of the land in order to facilitate travel. One of the the road north. Nevertheless, the investment paid off and the better known trails that survives to this day is Davenport Road, at the northern limit of the study area. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Davenport Road became part of an important The Township of York’s population increased gradually before the route for farmers traveling to markets or to conduct business in ?!@!K/!@K#!V"V/ Toronto. It is undoubtedly one of Toronto’s oldest roads. for instance, the total number of inhabitants within the town was estimated at 212 persons. Within the space of one decade, this Portions of Yonge Street overlap this ancient trail system. In number had doubled to 414. By 1824-1825, the town contained 1793 Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, 1,679 residents. By 1834 the population had reached 9,254 and contracted Augustus Jones to survey a route for Yonge Street by 1845 this number had doubled again to 19,706 (Walton 1837, from the Township of York to Lake Simcoe, and by 1794 the 41; Smith 1846, 193; Mosser 1984, 7, 67, 157). Queen’s Rangers had begun constructing a “bush road” following Jones’ survey (Miles 1878, x). At this time the northerly limit of In 1834 the Township of York was incorporated as the City of the town was set at Lot (Queen) Street and the study area was not Toronto and its boundaries were expanded, at which point the yet within the town’s limits. The study area therefore provided majority of the study area (between College/Carlton Street and a link between the new Township of York and this rudimentary Bloor Street) was formally constituted as part of the new city. The “bush road”. The impetus to improve that link arose for economic remainder of the study area, north of Bloor Street, was developed reasons. > Toronto until February 1, 1883. On December 18, 1800, Chief Justice of Upper Canada, John Elmsley Sr., convened a meeting to discuss the best options for

Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District 3 Figure 3. Plan of the City and Liberties of Toronto, surveyed and drawn in 1842 by James Cane. It shows some early subdivision of Park Lots and the sparse development in the study area.

Early Settlement and Establishment of their lands to capitalize on a growing population and the demand Park Lots (1800 -1850) for land. These blocks would not be densely developed until the 1870s and 1880s (Bailey 1838; Cane 1842; Dennis and Fleming !@|!}~!@|@^>% During the initial township survey, large Park Lots between Queen

Street and Bloor Street had been set aside. When the capital of Road Improvements Upper Canada was moved from Newark (now Niagara-on-the- Despite the improvements to the road undertaken in the early Lake) to York, these Park Lots were granted to government 1800s, during the 1820s and early 1830s, Yonge Street remained / \ ]^/ for the most part a dirt road cut through forest. Travel remained individuals. This was done partly as an incentive for them to  move, and as compensation for any losses sustained by having spring thaw or rainy periods. It was proposed that travel along to give up their homes in Niagara. The largesse of the colonial Yonge Street could be improved if the road was macadamized—an government in granting these large tracts of land would later ^ become one of the catalyst’s of the Upper Canada Rebellion led section of macadamized road was called the “Yonge Street Mile,” by Mackenzie King. and was intended to form a “test strip” in order to determine

The study area incorporates portions of two Park Lots; Lot 8, whether this method of road building was suitable for a Canadian on the east side of Yonge Street, and Lot 9, on the west side of climate. It was so successful the legislature tripled their initial K%!V""/]``{ investment in order to continue with these and other local road acquired the northern portion of Park Lot 9 beginning at the ^ ^^ ]/ $ ? > $V} southwest corner of Bloor Street and Yonge Street running south ‚?>$#}V?>V‚}$>|$|V} to approximately where Wellesley Street is today (Scadding 1873, Scadding 1873:388). 392). The Park Lots that composed the remainder of the study  ^    / 

Development was slow in the study area leading up to and corner of Bloor Street and Yonge Street, and contained a small following the formation of Toronto given that much of the land /^^ was privately held. Eventually the owners subdivided and sold gate keeper (Myer 1977:81).

4 DIALOG - Philip Goldsmith - Archaeological Services Inc. - Carl Bray Figure 4. Plan of the Village of Yorkville surveyed and drawn by S. Figure 5. Historical sketch of rebels marching on Toronto by C.W. Jeffreys. James in 1877.

War of 1812

During the War of 1812, Yonge Street undoubtedly continued to be used as a route to and from the Town of York for private citizens and for farmers on their way to market as a key ‘safe’ route for shipping goods. During the War, Yonge Street was also used for the movement of the local militia from and the outlying townships in York County, and for the transportation of the militia stores and equipment.

Upper Canada Rebellion

Yonge Street was the site of the short lived “Upper Canada Rebellion” that demanded responsible government in Canada and an end to corruption in the colonial government. The largesse demonstrated by the awarding of Park Lots to members of the Family Compact was one of several motivations for the rebellion. †‚/!@$V/?<‡/ Toronto, led a group of rebel forces to the tollgate at Yonge Street and Bloor Street. In order to demonstrate their hostility, they set \ this the rebels marched south where they were confronted by Sheriff William Botsford Jarvis who was hiding with a group of KV ‡ ˆ were exchanged, but Mackenzie’s rebels, who were not seasoned /‰^ prisoner, tried, and sentenced to death (Bailey 1838; Scadding 1873:258; Myer 1977:74-75).

Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District 5 Figure 6. Map of Yorkville and its Vicinity in 1878, drawn by Alfred T. Cotterell. It shows the general extent of development in Yorkville shortly before annexation to the City of Toronto. Approximate bounds of study area in red.

Sub-Division of Park Lots (1850 - 1870) registered as plans of subdivision, and some lands on the east side of the street had been registered as well. The only estate that was not subdivided belonged to a wealthy merchant named Using historical maps it is possible to trace the subdivision of the Donald Mackay. These lands were located between Gloucester Park Lots and estates along Yonge Street. The James Cane map Street and Wellesley Street on the east side of Yonge Street. The !@ŠK Š/ ^ |% ^ ^ estate would not be fully developed until Mackay’s house was area south of Bloor Street prior to extensive subdivision. It is demolished in 1904 and a new street (Dundonald Street), named clear from this map that the majority of lands were still held in after Mackay’s estate, was constructed to provide frontage for large blocks, although some parcelling-off had occurred on the new residential lots. west and east sides of Yonge Street closer to the Yonge Street and ~ Village of Yorkville the study area today had not yet emerged. > \‡^V%!@|! the late 1830s and 1840s by Sheriff William Botsford Jarvis and of land within the study area south of Bloor Street was well Joseph Bloor. The land on the east side of Yonge Street formed under way. On the west side of Yonge Street large portions of part of Jarvis’s country estate named “Rosedale”. This was not the Elmsley Estate lands had been parcelled out. Comparatively laid out in a plan of subdivision until 1854, when it became less subdivision had occurred on the east side of Yonge Street at the focal point of the surrounding farming community and an this point. important stopover for those travelling north on Yonge Street and for farmers taking their goods along Davenport Road to St. !@|@~*@% Lawrence Market and the docks. that exists today within the study area had begun to emerge. The current pattern of narrow rectangular lots oriented towards Yorkville was not formally incorporated until 1852. As a testament the street was laid out along new streets that had been carved to the industriousness of its founders, their trades are recognized through the Park Lots, closely resembling the current street in Yorkville’s coat-of-arms with an anvil (blacksmith), a barrel network and block pattern. (brewer), a brick mould (builder), a carpenter’s plane (carpenter), %> By 1862, most areas on the west side of Yonge Street had been $Š~

6 DIALOG - Philip Goldsmith - Archaeological Services Inc. - Carl Bray Figure 7. Extract from the Fleming Map, 1851, showing the emerging Figure 8. Boulton’s Plan, 1858, showing the emerging urban structure in subdivision of Park Lots along Yonge Street. Approximate study the study area, highlighted in red. Yorkville is not yet part of area in red Toronto and hence does not appear on this map.

Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District 7 Figure 9. Map of Toronto’s Streetcar and transportation lines, prepared by the Toronto Railway Company in 1892. Approximate bounds of study area in red. Excerpt explaining service along Yonge in upper right corner.

1876, the tower still stands today, however, the main hall was  ^ ^ ;  replaced in 1889. ^ˆ^!@""!!% continuous street wall of buildings fronting along Yonge Street and well developed residential neighbourhoods to the east and Main Street Development and Early west. Public Transportation (1870-1900) St. Nicholas Street

Development along Yonge Street rapidly accelerated between St. Nicholas Street runs parallel to the commercial storefronts on 1870 and 1900, commensurate with Toronto’s rapidly growing the west side of Yonge Street, between Wellesley Street West and population. 53% of all extant buildings in the study area were Charles Street West. The areas surrounding St. Nicholas Street built during this period. This resulted in the annexation of formed part of the Elmsley family’s extensive “Clover Hill” estate, Yorkville in 1883 as the young city quickly outgrew it’s borders. which was subdivided during the 1850s. During the 1880s and Important innovations in public transportation also helped to fuel 1890s, the southern extension of the street between Wellesley development along Yonge Street during this period. Street and St. Joseph Street was known as “Brownville’s Lane.” During this time the street contained a series of small rough-cast Early Public Transportation cottages, today numbered as 45-63 St. Nicholas Street, which %^ were constructed in 1884. The cottages were developed and in 1849. Buses departed from St. Lawrence Market every ten owned by the Scottish Ontario Manitoba Land Company, which minutes, and headed north from Yonge Street/ to the also owned and developed a row of prominent Second Empire Red Lion Inn just north of Yonge Street/Bloor Street. In May 1861, buildings fronting on Yonge Street that were designed by E.J. the Toronto Street Railway was established with the construction Lennox. He was also the architect who designed Old City Hall of tracks along Yonge Street. Cars were drawn by horse along among many other important buildings across the city. !@"K   !##/### residents in the city at this time.

~ !"##/ 

8 DIALOG - Philip Goldsmith - Archaeological Services Inc. - Carl Bray Historic Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District 9